THE FISHIN' MISSION JOURNAL

Page 3

Tuesday, June 3rd:
For some, this was the big day. The hell with fishin'.....it was time for the First Annual Golf Tournament!! BT fished, while the rest of the remaining guys (except Lost Boy, who was lost again, and Red's clan, which was also fishin' ) jumped in our cars for a side-trip to luxurious Hawthorne for a day of golfing fun! We played a best ball scramble, and managed just a few beers. The Commish spent most of his time on the phone (apparently still trying to close that HUGE real estate deal), but everyone else was there to compete!

Congrats to the winning team with a "one-under" 71: Outtahere, Professor, OD, and Morgie! Second place, with a 78, went to Pat, Marko, JR, and Oregonism! JR seemed to have the most fun, partly because he took $20 from Lewd on a side-bet! Third place, back one stroke with a 79, was I'll Drive, Lewd, Sparky, and Walkbucks.

Thanks to the Professor for organizing the tournament and sponsoring the $50 cash prize! (If you want to read the story about Professor plantin' his truck in the dirt on the way back the previous year....see Mission Memories) And thanks to our tournament photographer, Here for the Beer, who drew down some pretty scary film! We went back to Rhino's for dinner, watched the Red Wings win game two, and told stories into the night!

Wednesday, June 4th:
Well, it rained like hell overnight, and the skies were cloudy all day! Outtahere, BT, Lewd, OD and Lost Boy bailed, so we were down to 13. The fishing was very slow and the weather front was still comin' in, so we did what we do best: run for Rhino's (the nearest "border" is in Minden). The Bulls go up 2-0, the Mayor delivers the "walnut slab" to the Professor for some work (more on that later), and we spend the evening indoors, sudsin' it up and hoping for a break in the weather.

Thursday, June 5th
Nope, not gonna happen! Wouldn't be prudent! It rained all damn day! Red and his clan left in the morning, so now we were down to 9! And what a fishin' day this turned out to be.....NOT!

Let me see.....we had breakfast at Hay Street, lunch and dinner at Rhino's (uh, we kinda stayed there all damn day) finished with some cigars, a fine port, and some fava beans! The Red Wings went up 3-0 and after closin' the pub, we went back to camp, started a fire (it was still raining) and did some steaks at 3:00AM.....are we outdoor dudes or what?

Friday, June 6th
Patience has it's rewards.....the weather was beautiful! Heads were a little fuzzy, but the weather was clear. According to the Commish, we did set a record: never before had nine remained on Friday! Sparky, Here for the Beer, Walkbucks, Morgasm, Oregonism, Pat, Marko, Professor, and I'll Drive! We started to break camp around 11:00AM, with a plan to "fish on the way out". Morgasm, Oregonism, and Here for the Beer planned to stay until Saturday, while Walkbucks and Sparky planned to jump over to Lake Tahoe for Sparky's annual "Run Around the Lake", and Pat and Marko were heading home.

One problem with that plan: a BEAR!

In the campground? No ....in our camp? No .....in Walkbucks van! Jumped right in the van, put his smelly ass down in the front seat, and wouldn't get out! Great camera work by Here for the Beer.....lot's of cussin' and folding chair throwing (from a distance) until he finally got out of the van and left! By the way, the fishin' was good on the way out!